Accelerating progress towards the health-related millennium development goals

Accelerating progress towards the health-related Millennium Development Goals

The critical role of the national health policy & strategy in strengthening health systems and delivering effective interventions in an integrated approach to accelerate progress towards the health MDGs, with a special focus on the health of women and children.

e Millennium Development Goals
● In September 2000, 189 heads of state adopted the UN Millennium Declaration and endorsed a framework for development. e plan was for countries and development partners to work together to reduce poverty and hunger, and tackle ill health, lack of education, gender inequality, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation. indicators to monitor progress.

● Eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established, with targets for 2015, and ● ree MDGs relate directly to health; to reduce child mortality by two thirds (MDG 4), to reduce maternal deaths by three quarters and achieve universal access to reproductive health (MDG 5), and to halt and reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, achieve universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS by 2010, and halt and reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases (MDG 6). of people who su er from hunger; MDG 7 includes a target of halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation; and MDG 8 has a target to provide access to a ordable essential drugs in developing countries. Primary education (MDG 2) and empowering women (MDG 3) also lead to health gains. ey are not meant to limit priorities in health, nor de ne how programmes should be organized and funded.

● Other MDGs have an indirect in uence on health; MDG 1 has a target of halving the proportion

● MDG goals, targets and indicators are interdependent measures of progress.

2

Progress is being made, but huge challenges remain
Progress
 The MDGs have been a powerful force in the fight to reduce poverty and